It is well known to provide headsets for audio communication, the headsets typically having one or two earphones and a microphone, such as a microphone mounted on a boom or a mouthpiece. For headsets having two earphones, the earphones are typically connected via headbands, ear hooks, neckbands or other suitable means. To provide audio from one earphone housing to the other, an electrical connection connects the two earphones. The headsets may furthermore be wired or wireless, where the wireless headsets include a wireless communication hub, whereas the wired headsets connect signals from the headset to a telephone system and vice versa by wire. Typically, the wired connection is provided via a joint.
In order to protect the wires passing through the joint from damage due to twisting, arising from rotation to the joints, typically these joints are fixed joints, i.e. non-rotatable joints, making it cumbersome for a user to adjust the headset to a most favourable position, for example when switching from one ear to another. Furthermore, when putting the headset down and picking it up numerous times a day, the wires may get tangled. Alternatively, the joints may include a mechanical stop to restrict rotation. Such a mechanical stop then acts to limit the travel of the joint to less than a full revolution or to less than 360 degrees. However, failure of the mechanical stop is a common cause for malfunction of the headsets as such stops may simply break off. Furthermore, a joint having a mechanical stop makes it more cumbersome for a headset user to adjust the headset.
It is known in the art to provide a rotatable microphone boom, such as to allow a user to e.g. switch from one ear to another and move the microphone boom to the desired position. Such headsets may have a microphone boom with a mechanical stop to restrict the movement of the microphone boom. However also microphone booms without a mechanical stop are known in the art, such as for example disclosed in EP 2 178 275 B1 in which sliding contacts are used for electrical connections through a rotatable joint to allow for a fully rotatable pick up unit.
It is furthermore known in the art to transfer audio data using streaming via a digital data streaming interface, such as using an I2S/TDM solution, or via a digital audio connection such as using an S/PDIF interface.